The chronicles of a crazy idiot, hoping to catch that elusive big one.

Monday, July 09, 2007

Pulau Sembilan 7 July 2007 : Catch Report

I has been quite sometime since Jeishen, May, Hari, Navin and myself had gone for fishing together. Our last trip was to Pulau Angsa a few months ago. This would be the first jigging trip for all of them. I had gone for my first jigging trip just 2 weeks before with the same boatman. At that time, I went on the boat Talang but now the boatman has a new boat, Tuna.

Jeishen, May and Hari took the day off on Friday (06.07.07) while Navin and myself got off work early. We had made plans to meet up in Sitiawan at around 9.00 pm, just in time for dinner. Navin and myself would be coming from KL while the others would be making their way from Ipoh.

We all met up at Leisure Bay Motel and Cafe at the appointed time, and after saying our hello's we then proceed to the hawker centre in Sitiawan town to have our dinner. During dinner there was a lot of laughing and discussion on the fishing that will be done the next day. After dinner we stopped at a convenience store to buy our provisions for fishing the next day.

We arrived back at Leisure Bay and we started to do some last minute tying and final check on our tackle. After we were satisfied that everything was in order, we retired to bed.

:::... Jeishen and May busy preparing their tackle ...:::

:::... Jeishen showing of his jig while May and Navin discuss about something ...:::

:::... Sharma aka Krazie Fishie posing for the camera ...:::

The next day we were all up early to begin our fishing. We had a quick breakfast and then proceeded to load our gears onto the boat. During my last trip to Pulau Sembilan, I had used the Talang Sportfishing boat, this time I would be using the Tuna Sportfishing boat. The boat was awesome. It was spacious and could fit 8 anglers comfortably. the boat is equipped with twin 225 HP outboard engine, GPS, Sonar, small toilet as well as a small cabin. As a whole, I am quite satisfied and very impressed with the boat. We arranged our tackle on board and soon were on our way out to Pulau Sembilan.

:::... The boat ...:::

:::... Tuna ...:::

:::... Twin 225 HP Outboard Engine ...:::

:::... Jeishen, Hari and Navin getting comfortable on the boat ...:::

:::... May posing ala Megan Fox from Transformers ...:::

:::... Sharma getting confortable at the cockpit ...:::

:::... Team Crazyfisherman at Pulau Sembilan ...:::

The first spot that we went to was a near a buoy. The plan was to do some apollo jigging to get some baitfish. The boatman had suggested that we could do some live bait drifting as most of us on board were beginners in jigging. Jigging can be very tiring so fishing with live bait was another alternative. Unfortunately, apollo jigging didn't produce any baitfish. Guess the baitfish was not around. We then proceeded to the first spot to do our jigging. Hari managed to produce the first catch for the day. He had cought a small kerapu estimated to be about 500g. Shortly after that, Hari got two more strikes but unfortunately, he didn't land the fish. Both times the fish managed to either throw the hook or the hook gave way.

We moved spot quite a few times. I lost count on the number of spots we went to. I think it was the third or fourth spot that May managed to land a GT. She was jigging away when suddenly she gave out a shout and said that she had fish on her line. With the guidance of the boatman, she managed to land a GT, estimated to be around 1.5kg - 2kg. She was on cloud 9. She was the only person so far who managed to land a GT. She was happy and excited. The smile on her face said it all.

:::... May fishing with her GT ...:::

:::... Boatman helping to land the GT ...:::

:::... A happy looking May with her GT ...:::

The action kinda died down a little after that. We were shifting from one spot to another in search of the GT and Queenfish that is abundant in the area. The wind on that particular day was quite strong and the undercurrent was strong as well. We were using jigs that weighted up to 80g and still it took a long time to reach the bottom. Most of our jigs got drifted away due to the current. One incident that happened as were changing spot was that Navin had managed to get a hit while the boat was moving. He had been casting when the boat was drifting and when the boat had drifted away, the boatman would start the engine while repositioning the boat. It was during this repositioning moment that Navin got a hit on him spool. He had purposely left the spoon in the water and decided to do some trolling with the spool. A Queenfish had seen the spoon and decided to make a meal out of it. As soon as Navin got a hit, he shouted to tell the boatman to stop. The boatman stopped and a fight was on the way. The queenfish showed some aerial display before being subdued. In the end, Navin was rewarded a queenfish which weighted approximately 1kg.

:::... Fish On ...:::

:::... Closer to the boat now ...:::

:::... Queenfish by Navin ...:::

The next fish caught was by May. She was using the new jig design by Duel. It looks like an octopus. Can't really recall the model of the jig. Just a few moments before she hooked onto the fish, the boatman was showing her proper way of presenting the jig. Moments after he passed the rod to May, she got a hit. She was super excited. The boatman once again was by her side to assist her land the fish. Moments later, another GT was brought up. The size of this GT is quite similar to the one that May got earlier.

:::... Fish on. Boatman by her side to guide her ...:::

:::... Landing the fish in progress ...:::

:::... Another GT by May ...:::

After May had landed her GT, the boatman told me that May had put us all onboaard to shame. So far only May had landed a GT. To to add to the insult, Jeishen, the boatman and myself were still fishless. This trip is starting to turn into a nightmare for me. Soon after the boatman had gave his remarks regarding May being the only person who has landed a GT, the boatman got a strike on his jig. He was rewarded with a handsome GT. He had broke the fishless spell. Now only Jeishen and myself are left fishless.

:::... The boatman with his GT ...:::

We arrived at our final spot for the day. Soon we wold be headed back to land. Navin was still jigging away, changing one jig after the other. Well his presistence and patience were dully rewarded. He received a strike and managed to land his first GT on jig. He was all smiles after that. The GT that Navin caught is extimated to be around 1kg.

:::... Bent rod ...:::

:::... First GT for Navin ...:::

After seeing Navin's GT, I was getting restless. I can't go back empty handed. I know I would have to endure teasing all the way from Sitiawan to KL. I am under pressure to get a fish. I was talking to boatman while reeling in my jig and then it happened. My jig got a monstrous hit. What ever that took my jig was not about to give up without a fight. The lines on my reel was peeling out. I had a fight in my hand. The boatman saw me fighting the fish and made some remarks like "Ini ikan kena badan". "Ini kena ekor la"... He was taunting me. After that he said "Kena turtle la...", "Maybe kena tengirri".... This guy really know how to work me up. The fight was awsome. Words can't describe it. The fight lasted almost 10 minutes I think. I can't remember but it surely felt a lifetime to me.

Video of the fight. Sorry no sound and poor picture quality. Thanks to May for taking the video.

:::... Fighting the GT ...:::

:::... Sempat lagi pose for picture ...:::

:::... Yeah...!!!!!!!!!!! ...:::

:::... Heavy ...:::

:::... Giant Trevally weighing 5 kg ...:::

:::... Reviving the fish in process ...:::

:::... Catch and release ...:::

After the successful landing and release of the fish, I was in a jubilant mood. I was smiling away and my arms were aching. Never felt such a fight before. I was a great feeling. Soon after my catch the boatman and Navin both landed a GT each. Sadly, both their fish can't compare to the 5kg GT that I just landed. Hehehe...

:::... The boatman's second GT ...:::

:::... Navin fighting his second GT ...:::

:::... Navin successfully landed his second GT for the day ...:::

Navin's fish was the last fish for the day. No more bites came after that. We all proceeded back to shore. I would say that this trip was an okay trip for me. Although the fish were not plentiful, at least I had the opportunity to land a 5 kg GT. A first for me.

After unloading our stuff, we proceeded to a nearby seafood restaurant for dinner. We had Navin's queenfish and Hari kerapu for dinner. After dinner, we left Sitiawan and headed back to KL